Stay Psyched...

Photo of local JP Brocket racing at today's Boxing Day CX... hope this helps you stay psyched in the cold temps.

Get down to the Riverfront and ride! There are (still) races to train for!

Saturday Photos...

Here are a few pics from Saturday. We were out checking course conditions and there were at least five folks out enjoying the loop during our brief visit. If you're not getting your fair share of free, local CX training, mock racing, or just enjoying the solitude of Shawnee Riverfront Park - then you are indeed missing out. Come on out and ride!

Dig Deep...

There's not a lot going on at the park as far as organized events go, but YOU should be getting down here and riding anyway. Why you might ask? Well, because this is in fact THE only place in the metro that you can actually train for Cyclocross on a true CX course. Almost every obstacle you might encounter at a race venue is present for your riding pleasure. We hope that all of our hard work isn't for nothing.

We've not mowed or groomed things in a few weeks, but the line is still pretty obvious and good for riding, training, mock races - you name it, go do it.

If you're curious about whats going on in the area Cycling wise, please hit up these sites for up-to-date info and random cycling related thoughts. 

http://kansascitycyclocross.blogspot.com/

http://localcycling.com/index.php/kansas-city

http://kscycling.org/

All the best from the Riverfront CX crew!

Sweet Lines...

Wednesdays training race at the park was super fun. Thanks to all who came out to support local cycling. With great attendance, we were able to ride all of the newly built trail and get things dialed-in, smoothed out a bit and a good line developed.

The CX course is in prime condition - GO RIDE!!!

Round-n-round...

Pic-o-the-day

'Center of the Spiral'.

Levee Reroutes Complete...

We have completed the required levee reroutes as mentioned in a previous post. There have been changes to approximately 30% of the course. There are new features to give the course some elevation gain/loss since we can no longer use the levee. We are also going Euro with the course; not the typical groomed park course but rather a mix of terrain that will make expand your cyclocross skill portfolio 10x over. We've relocated the barriers, added an off-camber sand-pit, multiple descents, a sand run-up, climbs and some narrower-than-regulation segments through the woods to keep you on your toes. Overall course length is the same as before (2.5 mile FULL, 1.75 SHORT), but you're going to experience more obstacles than before. A true and difficult training course that we have dubbed "New Belgium". Come on out and ride!

New Course Map (as of November 4th, 2012)

Pic of the day...

Barriers!!!

New Sand Pit...

Changes in the Works...

A brief post, but important. We have been asked by the Corps of Engineers to move the Cyclocross Course OFF the LEVEE. There are concerns that over time, our course will wear down to dirt, then erosion may occur, which could compromise the integrity of the levee.

Since we are more than thankful just to have the opportunity to have a CX course at the park, we have volunteered to re-route the course off of the levee entirely. This is a bummer since the levee provided the only real elevation gain and descent on the course, but it is what it is.

We are still working on changes, and the course is open during the construction of the reroutes. Below you will find an updated course map as of today. Feel free to get out and ride! All of the old course is in great shape with a pretty smooth and obvious line. The re-routes are going to be bumpy for a while, just like the old stuff was. Please help us and get some tires on the course. We are psyched, per many requests, to have added a 'spiral' to the course as well as an 'off camber sand pit'. Enjoy!

You will still access the levee on the same mowed entrance path, however since the course no longer goes atop the levee, just use the entrance path to go up and over the levee and then onto the course. The new Start/Finish is on the new straightaway marked by yellow flags. You will have to ride about 100 yards of the course backwards to get to the start/finish (for training races). Otherwise you can roll onto the course at the bottom of the levee. Course still goes CLOCKWISE. We don't have the new mileage, yet. Stay tuned.

The map is also updated with areas you should never ride as 'danger zones'. These areas are known to house thorns and other tire eating beasts. Stay on gravel OR mowed course areas to retain tire psi.

All the best!

How NOT to Flat......

Yes, it's true. there has been an issue with folks flatting out at the park due to Goat Head Thorns. Below we hope to educate you on HOW NOT TO FLAT AT THE RIVERFRONT PARK.

1. Park in the gravel/dirt lot at the grove of trees. DO NOT park at the far South part of the gravel (where the gravel is deep). The brown dead grassy looking plants on this part of the gravel IS the goat head plant.
2. DO NOT cut the course.
3. DO NOT ride around in un-mowed areas of grass. We know you want to go and 'check things out' and ride around the park, but please do so ON THE COURSE. 
4. Approach the curse on the mowed entrance trail as seen on the map, from the gravel parking area. Stay on bare gravel otherwise.
5. If you want to warm-up somewhere other than on the course, we recommend doing so ON FRISBIE ROAD.
6. Assume all un-mowed areas ON the levee OR in the field on the same side of the levee as Frisbie Rd. are danger zones. 
7. Look at the map (below). Click on it to enlarge. The areas shown as DANGER are full of goat head thorns. Don't ride there, you'll flat.

Outdated Map

We'll put it it simple terms for you: STAY ON THE MOWED COURSE AND ENTRANCE TRAIL OR YOU WILL FLAT. If you can't manage this, then run tubeless tires and it won't matter. 

We really really want you to have a place to practice and train for cyclocross. If you follow the simple directions above, you can do so and not have any issues. This course is an awesome resource for Kansas City. Please, use it, use it wisely, have fun and bring a friend. Enjoy!

Training Race Video...

Please enjoy this unedited Go Pro video taken by Snackerdog while flying a motorized para-glider during the Dirty Crits #1 training race (this past Monday). You will come away from this either motion sick or uncontrollably psyched.  It's a really long video. The first few minutes will give you an idea of what the Riverfront CX Course is all about.

Get down to the Riverfront CX park on Monday's through November 5th. Mountain & Cyclocross Bikes race at 6p.m., it's FREE. You will become stronger.

Kansas City Cyclocross...

There's a new CX blog in town, Kansas City Cyclocross. That's where we found this great photo of the stair run-up at the Riverfront CX Course.

 Check it out! Lots of good, current (and much needed) info on the local CX scene.

You might also want to check THIS out for more information on the training races that start THIS MONDAY at 6 p.m.. Come on out and join us!

Miles of Smiles...

We are psyched to see traffic at the Riverfront CX course increasing steadily as the word gets out. A huge THANK YOU to those who are braving the virgin and bumpy soil to help burn in the line. 

Work Day Success!

Our Puncturevine eradication and course re-route work day ended in a huge success! Here are the details:

• Areas where we believe the Puncturevine (goat heads) to be located are now CLOSED.
• Re-routes have been added to avoid [these] problem areas (see map).
• Double Barriers have been installed.
• An entrance trail has been mowed-in starting on the gravel parking area leading up onto the levee (see map). PLEASE access the CX Course via the Entrance trail to avoid possible flats. 
• To be safe, assume that any un-mowed areas contain Puncturevine!!!
• A connector trail has been added to the course to provide an optional "short course" (see map). The connector will be obvious due to it being narrower than the rest of the course.
• We are still recommending tubeless tire set-ups until we are 100% sure the Puncturevine issue is remedied.  
• Course goes Clockwise. Start is at an orange stake on the Levee above the parking area.
• Please do not alter the course.
• Enjoy! 

NEW and UPDATED Map

KEYED map for those interested in the recent changes.

The Riverfront CX Course is freshly mowed and in prime condition for you to get some hard training in. The course is still pretty soft and bumpy due to it's newness and lack of tires, so you'll get in a good work-out that will make the race courses this season feel easy. Get out and do your part in burning-in the line and getting the areas only Cyclocross Training Course into shape for your season of use. 

Here are a few images to get you psyched! Spread the word!

New Barriers installed!

The 'R'. You ride this counterclockwise. Ouch!

Entrance off-camber downhill

More off-camber climbing/descending

10/1 Course Update

This morning we had a chance to walk and inspect the current course; looking for the Puncturevine (goat head) trouble areas. We believe we've located the problem areas and have plans to re-route the course rather than try to eradicate the plants (as they are heavily concentrated in one area that we can avoid entirely with a re-route) . The re-routing should take place this week, so over the weekend things should be in perfect condition for any tire. We will keep you updated with a new course map AND additional info.

The course will be open (tubeless tires recommended) during construction of the re-routes.Thank you for your patients.

9/28-9/29 Cyclocross Course Closure...

The Cyclocross Course will be closed Friday, September 28th thru, Sunday, September 30th for a Cub Scout Family Camp-out. Please respect the closure and DO NOT ride the course during the Cub Scouts event, as they have had the site reserved for some time. Assuming the Cub Scouts have all of there belongings removed from the park, the course may be open for riding on Sunday evening, September 30th. Thank you for your cooperation. Sorry for any inconvenience.

News Flash...

There have been several reports of Puncturvine (a.k.a. Goat Heads) causing flats on the course. We are in the process of extricating the unwanted weed, which is no easy task. We are recommending that you run a tubeless tire set-up until the situation is addressed. We have located a few problem areas shown in PURPLE on the map below. If you find other problem areas, please email singlespeedpirate@gmail.com and we will try to keep the masses informed. Best of luck and happy riding.

Click to Enlarge - Potential Puncturvine locations in PURPLE.

Under Construction...

First turns after the initial straight-away.

Tight Turns.
The Log Barrier can be seen in the distance at the base of the Levee run-up.

Shawnee Riverfront Cyclocross Maps...

Course Map

Road Map

KC Metro Overview Map